1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of folded sheets, such as non-woven sheets used for such applications as baby wipes and fabric softener sheets. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for facilitating removal of individual sheets from a stack of folded sheets held within a container, such as a tub. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to the placement of a visual indicator on folded sheets, the indicator directing the user to a specific location of the stack for grasping and removing a single sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of fabric products are currently being sold which include a stock of individually folded sheets. Several well-known examples are folded, moistened baby wipe sheets and folded fabric softener sheets. In both of these examples, the sheets are made from non-woven fabric, but in the context of this review of the prior art and for purposes of this specification, the term "fabric sheet" should be taken to include woven and non-woven sheets made from materials such as cellulosic materials.
Typical baby wipe sheets are stacked in a tub or other container having a removable and replaceable top, giving access to the contents. The plurality of sheets are moistened and include a generally rectangular base portion and a pair of flaps which are folded on opposite sides of the base portion. Such products have a uniform color, and it is difficult for the user of the product to readily pick up an edge of one of the folds to remove a single moistened wipe from the container.
Typically, the person using such a product has one hand occupied and it becomes frustrating to fumble with the stack of sheets in attempting to pick up one wipe at a time. It is common for a user to pick up more than a single sheet because of the tendency to grasp any portion of the upper sheet between thumb and finger. Unless the user grasps only the edge of one flap, there will be a tendency to grasp more than the thickness of one sheet and to lift a plurality of sheets. Similar problems are encountered when using folded sheets of fabric softener, or in other products such as hand wipes and the like.
Indicators of various types have been used with fabric products in the past. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,259, issued Aug. 25, 1931 to Wandel for "Tissue Pad," rounded corners of a pad of folded tissue are compressed together for the dual purpose of causing the sheets to adhere to one another and to give a certain amount of stiffness to the pad where it is to be gripped by the user. In Wandel's Jul. 6, 1937 U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,882 for "Dispensing Package for Cellulose Tissue Sheets," a different approach is used, i.e. hemming together two superimposed sheets of tissue and separately folding the sheets along longitudinal lines in such a way that the hem will lie intermediate the folds. In this manner, the hem can be readily seen and instinctively grasped by the user.
Visual indicators have been used in other fabric applications. In one instance, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,572, issued Sep. 22, 1992 to Wells et al. for "Video Game Console and Cartridge Cleaning Kit," the cleaning card is marked with the words "CLEAN" and "DRY" at opposite ends to indicate the wet and dry ends of the wand.
Several patents describe the use of indicators on rolls, such as rolled towels or rolled toilet tissue, to signify that the roll is almost depleted. See, for example, the roll depletion visual indicators of U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,663, issued Feb. 20, 1990 to De Luca for "Method of Indicating Towel Roll Depletion"; U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,970, issued Nov. 21, 1933 to Wooster et al. for "Indicating Means"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,249, issued Jul. 17, 1979 to Dashow for "Web Product With Marker and Method of Manufacture."
While roll depletion indicators have been described in the aforementioned prior art and whereas certain tissue products have been joined together in such a way as to provide an indication of the area to be grasped, no teaching of the prior art has indicated a cure for the fabric dispensing problems described above. Accordingly, a solution to that problem would represent a substantial advance in the art.